The Repurposing Life

How to Regrow Food From Scraps

There’s a certain appeal to the thought of growing your own food from scraps. But for those without outdoor space, there is actually a lot that can be done right from your windowsill. And in many cases, you don’t even need soil—you just need a few food scraps to get started.

Yes, you can regrow everything from avocados and potatoes to full-scale apple trees from scraps, some of these items will take days and weeks to sprout back up, and others months. This is the guide for those with little patience and absolutely no green thumb.

Before you get started, consider choosing organic or farmer’s market produce, since those have a lower chance of being treated with pesticides that might hinder growth (often growth retardant sprays to stop items from sprouting at the grocery store).

Why Should I Grow My Own Food?

Well, the most amazing things happen when you grow your own food:

• Reduce your carbon footprint: Growing your own food means you’re taking fewer trips to the grocery store. It also means you’re less likely to have much more food than you can eat before it spoils, cutting way down on food waste.
• Great for apartments or houses: Teach your family or yourself how to grow food, even in a small apartment or using containers on the deck or patio. It doesn’t have to take a lot of room.
• Go organic: Not only will the fruits, veggies, or herbs taste great, but they can be organic as well, as long as you don’t use chemicals or pesticides. If you follow the instructions I give you, you can grow all these fruits and vegetables yourself.
• Get everyone involved: If you have children, get them involved. If you have room give them their own spot in the garden with their own containers. The reaction you get when they get to eat the foods they grow is amazing.

Whether you regrow from the scraps you have or from the seeds, you’ll be happy you grew it yourself. I’m including herbs because, not only are they easy to grow, they also add a lot of flavor to homemade food.

If you want greater detail about regrowing your kitchen scraps, I recommend the book “No-Waste Kitchen Gardening,” by Katie-Elzer-Peters. The book contains detailed instructions (with photos) for how to choose and prepare vegetables, fruits, and herbs for regrowing both indoors and outdoors.

Regrowing Your Leftover Greens, Pits, Seeds, and More

Veggies like carrots and celery or the shoots of green onions can be regrown in a dish of water. And herbs like basil can reroot in water for more plants.

Depending on what you grow, indoor regrowing may never produce much more than some garnishes or small amounts of new edibles, but the bigger purpose is learning basic gardening, better understanding how plants grow, while reducing food waste.

Finding new life in beet tops or potato eyes is a great way to start. Experiment on your own, or use it to introduce your children into the world of growing plants. Learn how each plant grows, how to choose the right part of each plant to begin regrowth. I’ve been doing this for years now and have had successes and failures, but learned a lot along the way.

Know Your Plant Parts for Regrowing

You can regrow plants from seeds, roots, stems, or leaves, in either water or soil, depending on what works best for the plant. Sometimes regrowth will yield more of the same, other times it brings something different. Green onions rooted at the base will produce more green onion shoots. But, harvested carrots and beets have finished their root-growing days (the main part we eat) so instead will produce more edible leafy greens on top instead. In any case, whatever the regrowth, it will still be edible.

Tips for Success

1. Start with healthy, organic vegetables, fruits, or herbs.
2. Avoid anything treated with growth retardants (used to prevent sprouting in grocery stores).
3. Know which part of the plant can regrow.
4. Provide the right growing conditions.
5. Know what to expect: some plants regrow entirely, others provide partial growth, and hybrids do not grow true to their parents.
6. Don’t forget to water regularly and check for signs of damage.
7. If planting outside, check for bugs and diseases.

1. Stems to Regrow in Water

The bottom of the vegetable must be intact for this technique to work. Leave at least 2 inches for regrowth. That’s right, don’t throw it away. Just remember: you are going to be using the root or growth end. Don’t cut into the end or damage it.

Bok choy	Green onions	Leeks
Cabbage	Fennel	Lemongrass
Celery	Kohlrabi	Lettuce and heading vegetables such as Napa cabbage (and if you like this type of cabbage, see my recipe for making authentic Korean kimchi)

Cabbage

You can regrow cabbage with almost the same methodology you use for lettuce: Place the base of the cabbage in a shallow bowl with a little water. Set near direct sunlight and, after three days, you’ll start to see some new leaves. The only difference is you’ll want to mist a bit of water on the leaves. Within two weeks, you’ll have enough leaves to begin eating.

Celery and Green Onions

Regrowing celery is one of the easiest foods to grow from leftover scraps. You start out with a shallow bowl of warm water in a sunny area. Change the water every other day, mist the leaves and, within a week, you will begin to see the leaves thickening and growing along the base. When this happens, you can transplant your celery in soil and wait for it to grow to full length. Keep watering and, within a month or two, you’ll start to have useable stalks.

• With these plants, you are growing the root end.
• Remember not to cut too short.
• When ready to harvest, don’t pull out the whole plant, just cut about 2 inches above the roots.

Scallions

Scallions grow significantly in as little as a week and require nothing more than a cup and some water. Place the bottoms of your scallions (the white part with the small roots) in a cup of water near some sunlight, ensuring that a little bit of the stem is poking out of the water. Change the water when it starts to evaporate—that’s it. You’re a gardener already.

Fennel

Growing fennel requires that you keep the roots intact. You need about an inch of the base of the fennel bulb to get it to regrow. Just place this base in a container with about a cup of water and leave it in direct sunlight. The windowsill is the perfect place for this. When the roots grow strong and you notice new green shoots coming up from the center of the base, you can transplant into soil.

Leeks

Leeks are alliums just like scallions, so it’s the same process but with a slightly longer grow time. Place the leeks’ roots in a glass container and set it on a windowsill with sunlight. Change the water as needed and, within about two weeks, you’ll start to have leeks that are ready to eat.

Lemongrass

If you love using lemongrass but have a difficult time finding it, simply regrow your own. Lemongrass will grow just like regular grass. You just place the root that is leftover in a glass bowl or jar with enough water to cover it and leave it in sunlight. After about a week, you will notice new growth and when this happens you can transplant your lemongrass into soil.

Lettuce

Lettuce, Bok Choy and cabbage are relatively easy to grow from scraps. Remember not to cut too short. Instead of throwing out those leftover leaves, simply place them in a shallow bowl with just a bit of water in the bottom. Keep the bowl somewhere that gets good sunlight and mist the leaves with water a couple of times each week. After 3 or 4 days, you will notice roots beginning to appear along with new leaves. When this happens you can transplant your lettuce or cabbage into soil. Remove outer edges of lettuce. New leaves grow from the center. If you want your lettuce to last longer, remember to only harvest a few leaves at a time and never pull out the whole plant.

Romaine lettuce

If you like your greens, look no further than romaine. Leave an inch or two off the end when you cut your original batch and then place that romaine heart in a bowl of shallow water situated in sunlight. Change the water daily, and within two weeks, you’ll have enough to top a sandwich. Within three or four weeks, you’ll have a whole head.

2. Herbs to Grow from Stem Cuttings

Herbs you can grow in water or soil. Putting herbs in water is great either way, because it keeps them fresh for much longer than they would in your fridge. Whether you have lots of space for a garden or you keep your herbs on the counter. You want to make sure your herbs are getting sunlight and are watered most days. When the leaves start to come out, make sure you leave enough of the plant behind to keep it growing indefinitely. Start by buying them in the grocery store or food market. Bring them home and follow these steps:

1. Use the same amount of jars as you have herb bundles.
2. Fill each jar with about 2 inches of water.
3. Remove the rubber bands from each herb bundle, and place it into the glass or jar of water.
4. Place a zip top silicone bag or compostable sandwich bag over each herb bundle, creating a mini-greenhouse for each.
5. Place in the fridge or on your counter. Where you should put them depends on the weather and how long it takes you to use them.
6. Add more water as needed.
7. If you have more room or use them in larger amounts, then buy them from your local greenhouse instead.

This is a list of herbs you can grow indoors. Check if yours is annual, biennial, or perennial so you know what to expect in terms of lifespan. These instructions for rooting softwood cuttings will work for herbs as well.

Basil	Mint	Rosemary
Cilantro	Oregano	Sage
Lemon balm	Parsley	Thyme

Basil

Basil is relatively easy to regrow. You just have to have a stem about four inches high. Place this stem in a glass of water with the leaves well above the water line. Leave the glass sitting in a bright area but not in direct sunlight. Roots should begin to form in a few days and when those roots reach a couple of inches long, you can transplant them in soil.

Cilantro

Cilantro can be grown from scraps as well. Just place the bottom of the stem in a glass of water and leave in a bright area. When the roots grow a couple of inches long, you can transplant the cilantro into soil and you will notice new sprigs in just a few weeks.

Any of these herbs can also be planted in larger containers on your deck or patio. Lemon balm will keep the pests away. Mint is good in tea or cold drinks. Mint comes in chocolate or apple; they smell wonderful, and I love them both. The great thing about herbs is that most can be regrown from the cuttings. So, if there’s an herb that you love but don’t see here, be brave and take a piece of the plant and strip off a few leaves. A new plant will likely grow from it.

3. Root Veggies to Regrow for Leafy Tops

Ideally, you’d want to use veggies that still have their leaves attached. If not, then you can promote the leaves to grow by placing the tops cut-side down in a shallow dish filled with no more than ¼ inch of water. These roots will not regrow but the leaves will.

Beets	Parsnips	Rutabagas
Carrots	Radishes	Turnips

Carrots

Carrots are a root vegetable and are started the same way as the other veggies listed above. The only difference is that it’s the top of the carrot you will be growing. If you aren’t using the leaves at the top of your carrots, you’re missing out on one of the best greens around. They are perfect in salads and pesto to add a little bit of herbaceous heft. And the extra good news is that they are also among the easiest greens to grow at home. Put the tops of your carrots in a small dish with some water and set them by sunlight. Within a few days, you’ll start to have greens you can use.

1. So this time cut about 1 inch below the carrot greens across the top portion.
2. Then place in the jar or cup of water.
3. Once you see roots coming from the carrot, suspend it over the glass with toothpicks so the carrot can grow. If you are growing a few, then plant in containers outside. If you need a lot, then start them from seed in the garden. They don’t take long to grow.
4. Let a few go to seed, and use them to grow more next year.

Turnips

Root plants, turnips grow well from clippings or leftover scraps. You just need to salvage the tops of the turnip and place in a container of water. You should notice new green tops growing within just a few days. Just allow the root to continue growing until it’s ready to be transplanted into soil. This works with many root vegetables such as beets, turnips and even parsnips.

4. Tuberous Roots & Stems to Regrow Entire Plant

Start with organic produce that has not been treated with growth retardant. It’s the eyes that sprout new growth.

Sweet potatoes	Potatoes	Rhizomes
Cassava	Yams	Ginger (for greater detail, see How to Grow Ginger Root Indoors)
		Turmeric

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes can be grown much like regular potatoes. You just have to cut the sweet potato in half and suspend it using toothpicks above a container of shallow water. Roots will begin to appear in just a few days and sprouts will be seen on top of the potato around that same time. Once those sprouts grow to about four inches high, just twist them off and place them in a container of water. When the roots from this container reach about an inch in length, you can plant them in soil.

Potatoes

Virtually everyone knows that potatoes can be grown from potato peelings. You need peelings that have eyes on them. Cut those peelings into 2 inch pieces, ensuring that there are at least two or three eyes on each piece. Allow them to dry out overnight and then simply plant them about 4 inches deep in soil. Make sure that the eyes are facing up when planting. It will take a few weeks before you see the potato plant begin to grow.

1. For growing a potato, cut into 3 or 4 pieces. Make sure there is at least one eye on each one. The eye is where the root and new plant will grow.
2. If growing in a container use 2 per pot. This is in case one doesn’t grow. I recommend you grow them on your deck or patio.
3. Hill the soil or add more soil once the plant blooms. They will need more soil as the potatoes grow underground.
4. If you have room for a garden, then put them in soil and hill when needed. You will get at least 5 potatoes per plant, sometimes more.
5. Plant according to your family size. For a family of four, we pull a plant per meal, depending on the potato size. If you find potatoes at the grocery store already sprouting, buy them. That way you don’t have to buy seed potatoes.

Ginger

Commercial, not organic ginger root found in grocery stores has been treated with growth retardants meant to prevent sprouting at the store, soaking the root in water dissolves this retardant, allowing the rhizome to sprout new roots.

Ginger root is very easy to grow and once you get started, you can keep your supply of ginger full. The easiest ginger growing method is to soak the root for 1-2 days, and then plant it. You just need to plant a spare piece of your ginger root in potting soil, making sure that the buds are facing up. You will notice new shoots and new roots in about a week or so and once this happens you can pull it up and use it again. Remember to save a piece of the rhizome so that you can replant it and grow more for the next time you need it.

5. Bulbs, Stems and Modified Stems

When each of these are regrown indoors, they produce edible leaves only (like green onions), not bulbs as they do outdoors.

Garlic	Shallots
Onions (read this post for more detailed instructions)	Bean Sprouts

Garlic

When your garlic starts showing green stems, don’t throw it out. If you allow that garlic to keep going, you’ll get garlic sprouts, which you can use anywhere you might use chives or herbs. Garlic is really easy to grow and can be done from just one clove. To grow them, simply place the garlic into a shot glass with some water. Within five days, you should have some sprouts you can start using.

When you buy garlic, you get several cloves so just pull one off and plant it with the roots facing down in potting soil. Garlic likes plenty of direct sunlight so in warmer weather, keep it outdoors in the sun during the day. Once you notice that new shoots have established, cut the shoots back and your plant will produce a bulb. You can take part of this new bulb and plant again.

1. Don’t peel.
2. Separate into cloves; break apart.
3. Place the root ball end in the dirt. Push it in until the top is just barely out of the soil. No need to bury them completely. They can be grown in containers or out in the yard. They also do well in small containers on the counter near a window.
4. Garlic will produce tops; but don’t allow these to bloom. The plant needs this energy to grow the new bulb.

Onions

The easiest way to regrow onions is to set the bottom (roots) side down and cut side up in a shallow dish filled with no more than ¼ inch of water on the countertop. Replace the water daily. After a few days, you should see the innermost core of the bulb begin to grow higher than the outer layers. Once the stem has grown a few inches, the onion is ready to be planted in soil either indoors or outdoors.

Onions are very easy to grow indoors or out. You just have to cut the root of the onion off and make sure that you leave about a half an inch of onion when you do. Cover lightly with potting soil and keep in a sunny area. For green onions, simply put the white base with the roots intact in a container of water and place in direct sunlight. Change the water every few days and the green will continue to grow. Just snip what you need and allow it to grow as long as you like.

Bean Sprouts

If you love cooking with bean sprouts you can grow them yourself as well. You just need to soak a tablespoon or so of the beans that you want to grow in a jar with shallow water. Leave this overnight and in the morning, drain the water off and put the beans back in the container. Cover the container with a towel overnight and rinse them the next morning. Keep doing this until you notice the sprouts begin to appear and then until they reach the size that you want. This works well with mung beans and wheat berries.

6. Seeds

Don’t buy your seeds. Get them from your food instead. These vegetables and fruits contain their own seeds within them. They are easy to grow, and they all grow on vines (except tomatoes). Tomatoes can be grown in containers and doesn’t have to be transplanted into the garden. Just don’t grow them near peppers; they are not companion plants. Just make sure they have a trellis or cages to support the weight of the fruit.

If you want to grow watermelon, make sure to avoid the seedless kind. Remove the seeds and dry. Plant in containers in your garden.

Beans (sprouts)	Hot and Red Peppers: Green peppers are immature fruit and don’t have ripe seeds—use others instead	Microgreens (e.g. Coriander, Fennel, Lentils, Mustard, Sesame, Sunflowers): follow these instructions on how to grow Microgreens).
Cucamelons	Avocado (for more detailed instructions, see How to Grow an Avocado from Seed)	Peas
Cucumber	Melons: Ferment the seeds first using this video tutorial for Saving Tomato Seeds: How to Prepare and Store Seeds from Your Tomato Plants, by GrowVeg on Youtube	Pumpkins and winter squash: Grow outdoors
Citrus: Lemon, lime, tangerine, If you manage to grow them to fruit, they will not be true to the parents, but it’s quite a feat after several years. Exception: Satsuma tangerines grow similar to parent	Mango (for step-by-step instruction, see growing mango from seed)	Tomatoes: For more detailed and specific instructions (see How to Grow the Best Tomatoes, and How to Grow Tomatoes from Cuttings)
		Watermelon (not the seedless kind)

They grow just fine in containers or directly in the ground.

1. To collect the seeds from the food before you serve it, scoop them out.
2. Separate them from the flesh.
3. Rinse under water and place on dish cloth or reusable paper towel.
4. Let dry for a day or two.
5. Now they are ready to plant.
6. Use the starter pots or whatever small containers you already have. Even the containers you have from last year will work. You can sometimes get them for free at garage sales.
7. Use peat pellets or starter soil, and gently press each seed into the soil.
8. Cover over and water.
9. If you choose to grow your fruits and veggies with a trellis, you can use twist ties or tie straps to help the vine attach as it grows.
10. When they develop after blooming, place netting around each for added support as they grow. This will keep them from breaking off the vine.

SAVING TOMATO SEEDS

Lemons

Lemon trees can be grown from seeds and if you live in an area that gets really cold winters, you can simply grow dwarf trees indoors. Meyer lemons tend to have smaller plants so choose these if you want an indoor lemon tree. You will begin to get lemons from your tree in just a couple of years so remember that you won’t actually get lemons the same year that you plant them. Just be sure to clean and dry your seeds before planting and choose a soil that is rich in nutrients for the best results. Have too many lemon seeds, or are not interested in growing a lemon tree? That’s ok! For a zero waste approach, save your lemon seeds and use them to make this awesome lemon seed gel moisturizer. My hubby likes to keep it in the fridge and use it as an aftershave.

Peppers

You can grow a number of hot peppers from the seeds that are leftover. Just collect the seeds from your habaneros, jalapenos or any other peppers (including bell). Plant them in potting soil and keep in direct sunlight unless it is warm outside and then you can just plant them in your garden area. Peppers grow relatively fast and don’t require a lot of care. Once you get a new crop, just save some of the seeds for replanting again.

Pumpkins

If you have little ones that enjoy carving pumpkins on Halloween, you can roast and eat those seeds, or save those seeds and plant them. Even if you prefer toasting your seeds for a yummy and healthy snack, you can save a couple for growing new pumpkins. To sprout them, just dry the seeds, cover them in a moist reusable paper towel, place the towel inside a food container or reusable food bag, and store in a cool dark place; or, spread the seeds directly out in a sunny area outdoors and cover with soil. You can also plant an entire pumpkin. Once you finish displaying that Jack-O-Lantern, just fill it with soil and plant the entire thing. Zero waste, baby!

Tomatoes

Tomatoes can be grown just by saving those seeds that you probably throw out anyway. You just have to rinse the seeds and allow them to dry. To save them for next season’s planting, save the seeds in a seed packet, and seal completely. For more specific details, watch this short instructional video from by GrowVeg on Youtube. For immediate planting, plant in a good, rich potting soil until you notice growth coming in. Allow the seeds to get a few inches high before transplanting them outdoors. For more detailed instructions on transplanting tomatoes, see How to Grow Tomatoes from Cuttings. During cold weather you can grow your tomatoes indoors. Just remember to keep them in an area that gets plenty of sunlight and water a few times each week. For more detailed care instructions, see How to Grow the Best Tomatoes.

Fruit trees—usually require stratification (a cold, moist period) or scarification (scratching the seed coat to allow moisture to penetrate it). And many need cross-pollination (more than one tree) to produce fruit.

• Apple and pear—see How to Grow an Apple Tree from Seed.
• Stone fruits (cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, sour cherries)—see How to Grow Stone Fruits from Pits.

Apples

You can plant seeds from those delicious apples and grow your own apple trees. These are a little difficult but they will grow although you should note that you can plant several of the seeds from a single apple and end up with different types of apple trees. Just allow the seeds to dry out and then sprout and plant them. If you want your tree to produce a specific apple variety, then start with a grafted tree. Note that you will need at least two apple trees in order for them to grow well so save more than one seed the next time you enjoy an apple.

Cherries

You can actually grow your own cherry tree from the pit of the cherry, although it does take some time to grow an entire tree. You will need to keep the pit in cold storage for a few weeks so that they will germinate. To do this, simply clean the pit, pack it in nutrient rich soil and store it in a lidded container in your refrigerator. Leave for about twelve weeks and then transplant outdoors.

Peaches

Peaches, nectarines and plums can all be grown from their pits. Note that it does take a couple of years before you will be able to get any fruit from trees that you grow from seed but it will definitely be worth it if you begin now. You just have to dry the seeds out very well to prepare them for planting and plant them in a nutrient rich soil and in an area that gets plenty of sunlight. The same technique can be used for most stone fruits, for more detailed step by step instructions, see How to Grow Stone Fruits from Pits.

7. Bonus Items

These are worth trying but don’t expect fruit any time soon! If they ever do flower and fruit, it can take many years, but they still make good houseplants.

Avocado—for detailed step by step instructions, see How to Grow Avocado from Seed	Hazelnuts	Pineapple—for detailed step by step instructions, see How to Grow a Grocery Store Pineapple
Chestnuts	Mushrooms

Avocado

Avocado seeds can be used to grow a nice basic houseplant. But for a steady supply of this super food, you’ll have to start with a grafted tree. You just have to wash the seed and suspend it over water in a bowl or jar. The water should come up enough to cover the bottom inch of the seed. Keep the container in a warm place but not in direct sunlight, remember to check the water every day, and add more as needed. It can take up to six weeks for the stem and roots to appear and once the stem reaches about 6 inches you will need to cut it down to 3 inches. When leaves begin appearing, you can plant the seed in soil, leaving about half of it above ground.

Pineapple

You can grow your own pineapple even if you don’t live in the tropics. You just cut the top off and insert a few toothpicks to hold it above a container filled with water. Keep the container in direct sunlight. If it is warm outside, sit it on the porch or deck during the day and bring it in at night. Remember to change the water every other day or so and keep the container filled so that it reaches just about the base of the leafy top. You will notice roots in about a week or so and once they are formed you can transplant into potting soil. If you live in a cooler area, it is best to grow your pineapple indoors.

Mushrooms

You can grow mushrooms from cuttings, although they are a bit more difficult than many other vegetables. You will need a warm area with a lot of humidity and soil that is rich in nutrients. It is much better to grow your mushrooms in a pot as opposed to in the ground because you have a better shot at controlling the temperature and the humidity. You just have to cut away the head of the mushroom and plant the stalk or stem in the soil. Leave the very top exposed and this base will begin to grow a new head.

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts can be grown from seeds, although they do need to be planted near another hazelnut tree in order to germinate. Just dry the nuts well and plant them in a nutrient rich soil. You can begin your plantings indoors and then transplant outdoors during warmer weather if you want or if you live in an area that is warm year-round, just plant them whenever you are ready. Your tree will begin producing hazelnuts within just a couple of years.

Chestnuts

Growing chestnuts is really easy, provided you choose a type of chestnut that is indigenous to your geographical area and temperature zone. Remember to dry the nuts out well before planting and note that you may have to wait a few years before your trees really begin bearing nuts. You will also need to plant more than one chestnut tree for cross pollination

Sources:
25 Foods You Can Re-Grow Yourself from Kitchen Scraps
https://www.diyncrafts.com/4732/repurpose/25-foods-can-re-grow-kitchen-scraps
February 20, 2014 by Vanessa Beatty
39 Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs to Regrow from Scraps
https://empressofdirt.net/regrow-vegetable-scraps/
November 21, 2020 by Melissa J. Will
How to Regrow Herbs, Vegetables, and Fruits from Scraps at Home
https://dengarden.com/gardening/6-Kinds-Of-Food-And-Herbs-You-Can-Regrow
Terrie Lynn, Feb 4, 2020
How to (easily!) regrow vegetables from scraps indoors
https://www.today.com/food/how-regrow-vegetables-scraps-t178572